The Madison Reunion

How do you capture a decade that contained so many important cultural benchmarks? Well, you gotta hand it to Ben and Judy Sidran and myriad other organizers who picked up on the idea of a reunion reflecting on the legacy of the 1960s. The big-ticket music shows (Temptations and Reunion Blues with Boz Scaggs, Tracy Nelson and Ben Sidran) are sold out, but there’s a range of excellent free music on the Union Terrace all three nights: Thursday: Lou & Peter Berryman (5 pm) and a Motown-inspired dance party with VO5 (9 pm). Friday: Fabulous Imitations (5:30 pm) and Paul Cebar (9 pm). Saturday: Gerri DiMaggio (5:30 pm) and ‘60s singalong with Dueling Pianos (7:30 pm). Film buffs will want to catch a Cinematheque screening of the remastered classic Monterey Pop, along with a short of Otis Redding’s iconic performance at the festival. Glenn Silber will be on hand to introduce his Oscar-nominated The War at Home (Friday and Saturday). There’s a “be-in” at Picnic Point; an ice cream social; and art exhibits at MMoCA, Overture, the Capitol Rotunda and the Union. Share your stories from the ‘60s at a storytelling booth at the Union. And the weekend wouldn’t be complete without the World Naked Bike Ride (Saturday). We truly don’t have space to list it all. See our calendar at isthmus.com for many more events. And go to madisonreunion.com for the official program.

press release: Bringing the ‘60s Back Home

They say, "If you remember it, you weren't there," but most of us who passed through Madison in the '60s have deep and lasting memories of the time and place. Madison was a cradle of the counterculture, a rich mix of music, art, politics, history and participatory experience...an unforgettable time of experimentation, innovation and creativity.

The Madison Reunion is planning a "together again for the first time" gathering for June 14 - 16, 2018, at the (newly-renovated) Memorial Union and at venues on campus and around town. Three days jam-packed with panels and performances, films and fun, art and artifacts, meet-ups and memories, tours, tie-dyes and tunes on The Terrace.

It's a party with a purpose! Join our 50th anniversary "cultural Woodstock" to examine where we are, how we got here and what we left behind. Now is the time to bring the '60s back home.

Many events are free and open to all. Some that are not:

The quintet that rocked Motown, The Temptations, will be performing in Shannon Hall on June 14, 2018, at 8 pm. $55.

We will also be hosting a Reunion Blues featuring Boz Scaggs, Ben Sidran, and Tracy Nelson on June 15, 2018 in Shannon Hall, at 8 pm. $45.

The Conference on Madison in the '60s requires preregistration. $229.

Reunion events that are free and open to all follow!

Welcome: Thursday, June 14, 11AM; a gathering on the Union Terrace with Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, UW Dean of L&S Karl Scholz and Madison Musician Ben Sidran. National anthem performed by Jimi Hendrix; fly-over performed by Lake Mendota ducks!

Trolley Tours of Madison and the UW Campus, leaving from the Memorial Union Thursday through Saturday, 10AM – 4PM; find out where you went wrong!

Concierge Service: Take a trip to Taliesin, find a restaurant, go shopping and more.